


Marvelous

by halley4808



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-15 18:44:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12326706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halley4808/pseuds/halley4808
Summary: First fan-fic! This is a reader insertion in the marvel cinematic universe. It takes place after civil war.





	1. Chapter 1

Ice whipped around her body. She stumbled out barefoot into the freezing snow, her feet flying beneath her as she ran. Her arms were still bound at her side, restraints biting into her wrist. She knew this was her last chance to get out, one way or another.

***

Natasha piloted the airship, flying it above the frozen wasteland. Evergreens hid any life that might have been underneath. Steve stood by her side, surveying the landscape and monitoring the infrared radar. So far, he only saw the occasional deer or rabbit on the screen. The airship approached the landing area. While in Wakanda, Steve searched every channel he had, kept in contact with every asset, looking for more places where Hydra might be hiding. He heard the occasional Hydra sighting, but most turned out to be dead ends. However, the last time he got a report of a Hydra agent, it turned out to be true. Steve managed to get the location of a Hydra laboratory before the agent killed himself. There was cyanide implanted in his jawbone. All it took was for him to slam his head against the table and break his jaw. Hopefully, this wasn’t another dead end. As Natasha was landing the aircraft, Steve saw a human-sized heat signature on the radar a few miles away, followed by four more. Turns out this might not be a dead end. “I’m going to go check that out,” Steve says, motioning toward the heat signature. “You guys head up to the laboratory and see if anything is there.”

Natasha nodded. “Sounds good. Be safe,” she says, looking him in the eye. Natasha hopped on her snowmobiler, followed closely by Clint and Sam. Steve got on his and headed in the directions of the heat signatures.

***

The girl ran, as far as she could. If she could at least outrun them and hide somewhere until hypothermia finished its job, she would be ok. She wasn’t going back.

***

Steve raced on his snowmobile. Ahead, he could see four men, all in black uniforms, running, guns in hand. They turned when they heard his motor. They raised their guns, but Steve had already yanked his shield off his back. The metal rang as the projectiles hit it. One fell in front of him. _Tranquilizers_ , he thought. Whoever they were out here for, they didn’t want to kill them. Steve jumped off of his snowmobile and slammed his shield into an agent's head. He swung around and knocked another one out with his fist. Grabbing a tranquilizer gun, he shot the other two before they could get away. He turned, and was barely able to shoot the agent that he hit with his shield. Steve grabbed some rope out of his snowmobiler and restrained the men against a tree. _Now, who were they following?_ Steve saw an unsteady set of footprints going into the distance. He followed them on foot. They went on for a few hundred feet, when finally they ended at the base of a tree. Steve’s brow furrowed in confusion, when realization hit him. A figure jumped down from the tree branches. Arms wrapped around his neck, attempting to choke him. He swung the person off and pressed them against the tree trunk. In front of him was a young woman, appearing to be about 18 in age. She was clothed only in a small white dress, more resembling a sack than anything else. Her face and arms were covered in cuts and bruises. A look of fierce determination was on her face as she struggled against his arms. She tried to grab him, and he noticed the cuffs cutting into her wrists. “Hey, hey hey,” he said, attempting to pacify her. “I’m not here to hurt you, I’m here to help.”

“Let me go then!” she scream, kicking him in his shin.

Steve groaned. “No, I’m not going to let you freeze out here!” He lifts her up, pushing her back against the tree. He sees her bare feet, blue from the freezing snow.

“I’m not going back there, even if it means freezing to death!” She yanks his arm away, and begins to run. He easily caught her, securing her in his arms. Her ankle twists, eliciting a sharp gasp from her.

“Let me go!” she screams, struggling weakly in his arms.

“Only if you promise not to run. I promise I won’t take you back to where ever you came from.”

She struggles more, then stops, defeated, relaxing in his arms. He places her back on the ground, positioning himself so he could catch her if she ran again.

“What are you going to do now?” she asks, shooting him a hostile look.

“I came here on an airship. My teammates are currently taking down a Hydra facility, which is where I assume you came from. I want you to come back with me.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“You have to. I’m your only option, other than freezing to death.”

“I’m not opposed to that,” she said with a glare. “Give me a weapon, and I might come along.”

“Can’t do that,” Steve said. “I don’t know well enough yet to trust you.”

“So why should I trust you?”

Steve struggled to find an answer, when suddenly the woman’s eyes widened. Before Steve could react, she pushed him aside, catching him off balance. He turned to find an agent pointing a gun at them. Steve threw his shield at the agent, hitting his head hard enough to draw blood. He turned to find the woman falling into the snow, a tranquilizer dart embedded in her neck. “Don’t let me go back,” she said, eyes pleading, before completely collapsing. He picked her up from the snow, feeling her slim body shake from the cold.

Steve runs back to his snowmobile, trying to get her back to the airship before the cold took her. He called Natasha on their coms. “Hey Nat. I’m headed back to the airship now. There was a woman out her, and she’s about to freeze to death.”

Nat responds. “Sounds good. Everything is taken care of here. There were only a few guards and scientists. We’re collecting data from the computers now. Out of curiosity, was this woman young, 18-19, long brown hair, covered in bruises?”

“Yeah, why?” Steve asks.

“I’ll explain later,” she says. “Keep an eye on her.”

“Will do,” Steve responds. He climbs on his snowmobile and balances the girl in front of him. He holds her close to him with his thighs and an arm, trying to salvage any warmth that is left. He zooms back to the airship, hastily parking his snowmobile, and carries the woman inside. He rushes her to a medical bed, covering her in any blankets he could find. “Friday, check her vitals,” he asks the A.I.

“Her vitals are low, but she should make it,” Friday responds. Steve sighs in relief, slumping into a nearby chair. He removes his helmet, and stares at the woman. Her face is gaunt, starved, her cheekbones barely hidden behind a thin layer of bruised skin. Her long hair is tangled, matted together with blood and snow. But despite all this, he could not help but see the beauty that lay underneath it. He admires her for a second longer, then gets up, changing his uniform into more comfortable sweats and a t shirt. As soon as he is done, Nat, Clint, and Sam come back from the base. Steve walks out of the changing room, shutting the door behind him, to debrief the mission with them.

“So, what did you find?” Steve asks.

“Well, this was definitely a Hydra facility, even though it was small,” Sam says. “There were only a few guards on site, along with some scientists. Also, it looks like she was a permanent resident with them,” Sam says, pointing at the woman.

“We couldn’t gather much, but it looks like they were experimenting on her, seeing how far her body could go, how much it could handle. Most of the data we gathered is encrypted, but from what I can see, it isn’t very pretty.” Nat says. “God knows what they did to her before to allow her to endure all that. She should already be dead.”

“She almost was when I found her,” Steve says. “We barely made it back here on time. How long do you think it will take you to decrypt the data?”

“With Wakanda resources, a few weeks to a few months. But if we can get Stark to help us, I could do it in a few days, two weeks at most.” Nat says.

“I think I’m going to get him to host us at Stark tower for a bit before going back to Wakanda, until she gets better and we can trust her,” Steve says, motioning toward the woman again. “Maybe you can help convince Stark. But first, we need to get out of here. Prepare for take-off.”

***

“Sir, she’s about to wake.” Fridays voice jolted Steve out of his half-sleep. He stretches out of his chair, then goes back to the medical room that the woman was sleeping in. He leans against a wall, and watches her slowly open her eyes. She suddenly jolts up, her eyes frantically searching the room around her.

“Where am I?!” she asks.

“You’re in the airship I told you about,” Steve responds. “We're headed to Stark tower, in New York. There is a medical facility there, to help you get better. Right now, you need to lay back down and rest. Your body needs a lot of healing.”

Despite his advice, the woman throws her blankets off and starts to climb out of the bed. “Woah woah woah doll, where are you going?” Steve asks.

“I need to see if you are telling the truth,” she says. When she attempts to stand, her legs start to fall under her.

“Careful, doll,” Steve says, supporting her. “You shouldn’t be walking. I think you have a sprained ankle.”

“I’ll be fine,” she says through gritted teeth.

“Here, I’ll help you to the window, you can see that I’m telling the truth, then you lay back down until we get there. Sound like a deal?”

The woman thinks this over for a second, then nods. Steve brings one of her arms over his shoulders, then puts one of his arms around her waist and helps her out of the room. As they exit, Clint, Sam, and Natasha all turn to look at them. The woman feels heat rise to her cheeks, knowing that her small dress hardly covers her. Steve helps her to the window, and she looks out. They are flying over the ocean. In the distance, she sees the New York skyline.

“Happy?” Steve asks. The woman nods, then allows Steve to help her back to her room. Steve sits her on the bed, then proceeds to wrap blankets back around her. “So doll, what’s your name?” Steve asks as he finishes putting blankets on her. Her eyebrows crease, a small frown turning the corners of her lips.

“I-, I don’t really know,” she says, looking downward. “I think it may be (y/n), but I’m not really sure.” She looks at him, gauging his reactions with her big eyes.

“Well, I like (y/n),” he says with a smirk. “Do you know where you’re from?”

“No. I-, I mean, this sounds really stupid, and-, and crazy, but I don’t really know anything about me,” (y/n) says, looking downwards, clenching her hands in her lap.

“Hey, that’s ok,” Steve says. “Why don’t you start with what you do know about yourself?”

(y/n) sighs, trying to regain her thoughts and take control of her emotions. “Like I said, I don’t know a lot, and I’m not even sure if what I know is real or not.” She takes another deep breath. “My name is (y/n), I think, but I don’t know my last name, or middle name. I-, I know I had a life before, whatever, but I don’t know any details or what I did, only that I did have something before they brought me to-, to that place.” A shudder passes through her body. “I’m really, really sorry, but that’s all I know.” She brings the blankets closer around her, and leans against the wall on the bed.

“Hey, that’s a great start,” Steve says. “I’m sure we can help you figure out more.” Steve is interrupted by Nat’s sharp rap on the door.

“We’re landing.” she says, then leaves.

Steve gets up to follow her. “Just stay here (y/n). I’ll come back after we land.” He says with a comforting smile. Steve walks out the door, shutting it, and (y/n) is left alone.

“So, did you find anything out about her?” Nat asks.

“Her name is (y/n). It looks like Hydra wiped her mind, but she was able to remember that much. Hopefully, she’ll be able to remember more with time.”

“Do you think they were trying to create another Barnes?”

Steve sighs, remembering his friend, locked in cryo-freeze. “I hope not. No one should have to go through that.” The doors to the airship open, and they are immediately greeted by Stark and a small team of paramedics with a stretcher. “Cap, long time no see,” Stark says, greeting Steve with a firm handshake.

“Too long,” Steve replies with a small. “I would come back more, but after the accords...”

“Don’t worry about it. By the way, no one knows you’re here, except some of my most trusted employes.”

“Thank you,” Steve says with a grateful smile.

“So, where’s this girl you were so worried about?” Tony asks.

“She’s inside. Follow me,” Steve gestured. The team of paramedics followed.

(y/n) traced the small team with her eyes as they entered the airship and her room. “(y/n), these are some of the medical staff here. They’ll help you,” Steve says. He helps her out of the bed and onto the stretcher, laying her leg with the sprained ankle out carefully. She sits up on the stretcher, and they roll her into the building.


	2. Chapter 2

“She has the sprained ankle, like you guessed, along with multiple hairline fractures along her arms, ribs, legs, and most facial bones, although we will need to give her a full x-ray to confirm. She also has multiple small cuts and lacerations on her arms, face, abdomen, back, and legs. Additionally, she has bruises on most parts of her body. It will most likely be a few weeks before she is completely healed.” Steve stands, talking with the doctor.

“When will you do the x-ray?” Steve asks.

“We're prepping it now,” the doctor says.

“Can I go see her?”

“Unfortunately, right now she’s taking a shower, but you will be able to in a few minutes. I’ll let you know as soon as she's done.” The female doctor leaves. Steve sits in a chair, running his hands over his face, waiting.

***

(y/n) sits in the shower, letting the warm water run over her. When was the last time she had a warm shower? She thinks back, racing through every available memory, but she can’t find a time when she did, although she knew she had one before. She looks down, and sees the blood and grime run off her body. She leans forward into the spray, and works her hair free from its tangles. (y/n) closes her eyes and lets the water strike her face directly. The only showers she remembers were the times when she was sprayed down by an icy hose, half naked and surrounded by scientist. She shudders at the memories, and takes in the warm water. (y/n) stands, completely rinsing off the blood and grime from her body, then reaches forward to turn off the shower. She grabs one of the towels left for her, and dries her hair, pulling it through the towel. She dries the rest of her body, then stands in front of the mirror. It had been so long since she had seen herself. Her eyes were still green. She doesn’t know why she expected that to change. Now, it felt like they should be cold, grey pits. Her body was thin, unnaturally so. Hydra had starved her, as part of their experiments. She could count each rib on her body, if she wanted to. Her bony hips jutted out, and she touched them, displeased. She dresses in the clean, white t shirt and sweatpants that the medical staff laid out for her, savoring their softness. She took one last look in the mirror, then went out the door, where a nurse was waiting.

“Hi, how are you feeling?” the nurse asked, a practiced smile on her lips, guiding (y/n) into a wheelchair.

“Better, thank you.”

“Good. We have an x-ray prepped for you, to examine your fracture and see if there are any other problems we missed. But before that, Steve Rogers requested to have a word with you.” The nurse smiled and lead (y/n) through a door, where Steve was waiting. He stood up as soon as he saw her, a smile crossing his face.

“Hey,” he said. “You look better already.”

“Well, I feel better too. It’s amazing what a shower can do.” (y/n) sits still, her hands clasped in her lap, her posture reserved.

“Captain, would you like to accompany us to the x-ray?” the nurse suggested. “You and (y/n) can continue your conversation there, but the sooner we get her in a bed, the better.” The nurse smiled.

“Sure, that’s a great idea.” The nurse lead Steve and (y/n) to an adjacent room. In the room was a giant cylinder.

“(y/n), if you will please just lay on this,” the nurse said, motioning toward a bed, ready to go into the tight machine. Steve noticed (y/n) tense up, and her breathing became more rapid.

“In-in there?” (y/n) asked, motioning to the tube, hands shaking. Her mind flashed back to similar machines she was forced into, drugged and unable to move while lights flashed above her.

“It should only take a few minutes, if you just lay down and stay still.” The nurse put on her forced smile again.

Steve sensed (y/n)'s fear. “Is there another way we can do this? Maybe a different, smaller machine?” he asked.

The nurse looked confused. “Well there may be a few other ones in the back, but this is state of the art technology. No other machine compares to it.”

“I think a different machine would be better,” Steve suggests forcefully.

“Well, I’ll see what I can do, but it may be a few minutes.” The nurse left, unable to say no to Captain America himself. Steve lead (y/n) back to the main room and sat down, waiting for the nurse to return.

“Are you ok?” Steve asks (y/n). Her hands are clenched in her lap.

“Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“You just seemed uncomfortable with that machine. Was it ok that I suggested a different one?”

“Yeah, yeah, that was really nice.” (y/n) finally looks up at Steve. “I was, uh, I was really grateful. Thank you.” Her eyes flicker back down, but Steve sees her relax. Steve leans back in his chair, observing the medical wards drab decoration.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, until (y/n) finally breaks it. “So, uh, are you a secrete agent, or something?”

Steve chuckles. “Something like that. I’m part of a group that is dedicated to protecting humanity from various threats, threats like Hydra.”

“Oh, cool,” (y/n) says. “So you’re kinda like a hero, then?”

“I guess,” Steve replies.

“Huh. That explains why everyone respects you so much. I mean, look at the way that nurse reacted around you. She could barely stop blushing.” (y/n) takes another look at him. “So, uh, why does everyone keep calling you captain?”

Steve chuckles. “It’s kinda weird, but back in world war two, I was kinda like the mascot for America, and they called me ‘Captain America’.” He shrugged. “I guess it stuck.”

(y/n) paused. “Did you say world war two? Isn’t that like, seventy years ago?”

Before Steve can respond, the nurse came back. “I have another room prepped for you, if you’ll follow me.” Steve and (y/n) start to follow the nurse, but Steve is stopped by another person.

“Mr. Stark would like to talk to you for a moment, Mr. Rogers,” said a young man, one of Tony Starks idolaters. Steve glances back at (y/n).

“Sorry, I’ve got to go, but I check up on you again once I’m done.” Steve frowned apologetically to (y/n). The nurse leads (y/n) into a room with a small x ray in it, and Steve follows the young man to Stark.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, who exactly is this girl that I’m housing?” Tony threw a sphere, presumably one of his new projects, into the air and caught it.

“Her name is (y/n), to the best of her knowledge. From what I can gather, Hydra wiped her mind and experimented on her. Did Natasha give you the data we recovered?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, and I haven’t decrypted most of it yet, but I got some. Blueberry?” Tony offered to Steve. Steve grabbed a handful, tossing a few in his mouth. “The data and videos I  _ have _ decrypted so far haven’t been very pretty.”

“That’s what I heard,” Steve said. Tony grabbed his tablet and threw a video of (y/n) on screen. She was cuffed to a wall, curled into a ball, as she was hosed down by men in uniforms. The water left her skin raw and red. The next one comes up, and it’s (y/n) in a room, being beaten with a baton. Her blood flies across the room, and Steve hears a crack of bones shortly before (y/n)'s scream. Tony switches the video again, and this time it shows (y/n) strapped a table, cloth stuffed into her mouth and leather binding her extremities to the table. She is hooked up to a machine. A scientist starts to operate the machine, and (y/n)'s back arches, her screams muffled by the cloth in her mouth. After that, Tony stops the videos.

“Most of them are like that. It looks like they were pushing her, seeing how far they could go before she died. No normal human could survive what they were doing to her, so they must have changed her beforehand, like they did with you.” Tony sighed. “I think they’re trying to create more super soldiers like Barnes, only these ones are more powerful. I’ve taken samples of (y/n)'s DNA and blood, and will be doing experiments on it, seeing if there is any huge change, that kinda thing. For now though, I think it would be a good idea for you to keep an eye on her. Tell me if you notice anything weird happening.”

“Will do. Tell me if anything weird shows up in her DNA, anything that’s like me or Wanda,” Steve says. “Also, I want full copies of those videos and anything else you decrypt.” Steve is interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Tony says.

“Hi, Mr. Stark,” says the same nurse from before, entering the room with an armful of papers. “Here are her x rays, like you requested. So far, I’ve noticed nothing unusual, other than the hairline fractures we discussed before.” She laid the papers on his desk, arranging them so everyone was visible. They looked over the papers in silence.

“Notice anything unusual, Stark?” Steve asks.

“Only one thing. What’s that?” Tony asks, pointing to a small circle on the x ray of (y/n)'s neck.

The nurse leans in, taking a closer look. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I’m sure it’s nothing though. We can examine it in the morning. She’s already in bed for the night.”

Steve turns toward Tony. “Is there anything else you would like to discuss with me?” he asks.

“Not right now, no. I have a room for you, on the 87th floor. Nat, Clint, and Sam are already there.”

“Thanks. I’m going to go visit (y/n) first. I’ll keep you updated if I find anything unusual.” Steve exits the room, and goes up the elevator. As it’s ascending, Steve looks out the window, surprised at how dark it had gotten. The sun had set at least an hour ago, if not longer. Steve arrives at the medical floor. Almost all the lights are turned out, save for a few.  _ I must be the only one here,  _ Steve thought. He walks down the hall, and turns to go to (y/n)'s room. As soon as he turns, he sees (y/n), pinned down by two men, surrounded by broken glass. Her eyes are wide in fear, her mouth held shut by one of the men. A third man stands above her, preparing a syringe. Steve bursts into the room, grabbing the attention of the men. One of them snags (y/n) and attempts to drag her away, pinning her against the wall so she’s unable to escape. The other two men rush at Steve. He grabs one and pushes him away, while elbowing the other in the face. (y/n) struggles against the man, head butting him and drawing blood. The man shouts at her and wraps his hands around (y/n)'s neck in an attempt to make her pass out. Steve is tackled by a man, but he slams against a wall and knocks the man unconscious. The other man runs to Steve, blood rushing down his face from where Steve elbowed him. (y/n) jerks her arms up to the man’s hands and drops down to the ground, releasing herself from the man’s hold. She dives to the side and rams her leg up into the man’s crotch. Steve grabs the man who rushed him and throws him into a wall, rendering him unconscious. He rushes over to the man that (y/n) escaped from, and bashes his head into the ground. Steve looks up, trying to find (y/n). He finds her in the corner, trying to catch her breath, new bruises forming around her throat. Blood drips from her arms and back, broken glass embedded in her skin. She looks up at Steve, and tears start to fall. He goes over and wraps her up in his arms, carefully avoiding the glass. “Hey, it’s ok, I’ve got you.” More tears start to run out of her eyes.

“I-, I thought they were going to take me back, but you stopped them,” she said, crying more tears of gratitude and fear. “Thank- thank you,” she says, crying into his chest. Her voice was hoarse from the man’s grip around her neck. She pulls herself away from him and wipes her face, ashamed at her tears.

“Come on,” Steve says, “let's go sit down.” He guides her to a chair away from the damage, helping her navigate on her bad ankle. (y/n) gives herself 3 seconds to control her emotions.  _ 3, 2, 1 _ . Moments after they sit, security rushes in, followed by Tony Stark.

“What the hell happened?!” Tony asked. “How did they get in?”

“They came through my window,” (y/n) said, no longer crying. “I was lying in bed, when I saw some shadows rush at me. They broke through the window. I got up, and tried to run away, but they grabbed me, and one of them pushed me through that glass.” She points to the glass wall that separated her bedroom from the common area. “They held me down, and were about to inject me with something when Steve came in.”

“Are they Hydra?” Steve asks, getting up from his spot next to (y/n).

“Looks like it,” Tony says, revealing a black Hydra tattoo on the back of one's neck. “How did they know where she was?”

Steve remembers the strange dot on (y/n)’s x ray. “(y/n), turn your head for just a moment.” Steve pushes his fingers where the dot was on the x ray, and feels a small, hard bump. “Tony, come check this out.” Tony comes and places his fingers on the spot. His eyes widen when he realizes what Steve was suggesting.

“It’s a tracking device,” Tony says. (y/n) clenches her fists into balls.

“They put a tracking device in me?” She looks at Steve.

“We’ll have to cut you open to find out. Tony, are any of your surgeons still here?”

“I have one. I’ll give him a call.” Tony walks out on his cellphone. Steve sits back down next to (y/n).

“(y/n), I promise we will figure this out. No one will ever come and harm you again.”

(y/n) laughs bitterly. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,  _ Captain _ . If these guys want me back, they’ll get me, and no one can stop them.”

Steve grabs (y/n)'s hand in his left hand and cups her face with right. “(y/n), I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. I  _ will _ make sure no one ever harms you again.” He looked(y/n) in the eye.

“I believe you will try,” (y/n) says, then looks away. Tony walks back in.

“Ok, let's go ahead and get some of that glass out of you. I may not be a doctor, but I know a few things.” Tony walks into the hallway, leading them to another room. Steve helps (y/n) up into a wheelchair, then walks her over to where Tony was waiting. “Lay down here.” (y/n) lays on her stomach, wincing as her muscles move the glass shards in her back. Tony brings a tray with various medical tools on it. He picks up a pair of scissors and begins to cut open (y/n)’s shirt to remove the shards easier. As he does, Steve has to hold back a gasp. Under the blood and glass, her back is covered by multiple scars, thick and knotted, most still pink. Steve traces his finger along the top of one.

“How did you get these?” Steve asks.

(y/n) pauses a moment before responding. “I tried to escape once before. I failed, and those were part of my punishment.” Her eyebrows crease at the memory, and she avoids Steve’s concerned gaze. Tony continues to pull glass out of her back and arms, stitches up the larger cuts, and leaves the small cuts to heal naturally.

“That looks like all of it,” Tony says, wiping off her back with a wet cloth, removing the last spots of blood. “I’ll grab a new shirt for you and leave it by the door. Also, take some of these.” Tony puts a bottle of painkillers on the counter. He and Steve leave the room. (y/n) sits up, groaning as her back stretches, adjusting to the new stitches. She takes two pills out of the bottle and swallows them. She gets off of the stretcher and limps to where Tony left the shirt. (y/n) pulls off her cut, bloodstained shirt and pulls on the new one, wincing as it scrapes her back. She opens the door and find Tony and Steve talking to a tall man in strange clothing.

“(y/n), I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Stephen Strange,” Tony says, gesturing to the man.

“Here, sit down (y/n),” Steve says. “You still shouldn’t be walking on that ankle.”

“No, I’m fine, really,” (y/n) says.

“No, I agree with Mr. Rogers on this,” Dr. Strange says. “Sit, please.” (y/n) begrudgingly sits down in the wheelchair.

“Lean forward, and put your head in you hands, elbow on you knees.” (y/n) obeys, and Strange moves her hair aside and puts his fingers on her neck, feeling the bump and around it. “It doesn’t feel like it’s connected to anything, so we don’t have to worry about nerve damage. If you would lead me to an operation room, I’ll have it out in a matter of minutes.”

“We have one prepped over here.” Tony leads them to a room. Steve helps (y/n) up onto the stretcher, laying her face-down.

“You may feel a small pinch,” Stephen says as he numbs the area around her neck. “Tony, will you assist me?”

“I may not know much, but I can get by,” Tony says with a shrug.

“Good. Go ahead and a sterilize yourself. Mr. Rogers, if you insist on staying, please go to that corner over there. I can’t have any distractions.” Strange disinfects the area around (y/n)’s neck, and checks to make sure all the proper tools are present. “Are you ready Tony?”

“Yup, should be.”

“Good.” Strange puts on latex gloves. “Scalpel.” Tony hands Strange the scalpel, and he makes a small incision on (y/n)'s neck. “Retractor.” Stephen uses the retractor to hold (y/n)’s skin open. “Tweezers.” He carefully pulls out a small disk and sets it on a tray. He takes the retractor out of (y/n)’s neck, and places a butterfly bandage to keep her skin together. “Done.”

“That was easy,” Steve commented.

“Only for me,” Strange replies with an arrogant smile. Tony examines the small disk that was pulled out of (y/n). (y/n) sits up, getting a closer look at it.

“Well, it’s definitely a tracking device,” Tony says. (y/n) clenches her fists and tucks her elbows close to her body. “We should probably destroy it.”

“I have a better idea,” says Steve. “(y/n), we were thinking about bringing you to a safe house, just to make sure that no one is following you. Tony, we can send the tracking device in a different direction. If we destroy it here, they’ll know that we found it, and then follow us to the safe house. But if we send it somewhere else, they’ll have no idea where she actually is.”

“Huh, good thinking Rogers. I’ll prep an airship for you guys and send the chip somewhere else. Stephen, follow me.” Tony and Stephen walked out the door while Steve and (y/n) stayed in the room.

“So, did you notice anything strange about her, no pun intended?” Tony asked.

“I did feel something powerful inside her, but it seems to be kept at bay by something else. What, I can’t tell. She seems to be similar to that other girl you had me examine. Wanda, was it? Anyways, I’ll do more research and see if I come across anything that might shed some light on her situation.”

“Thanks, Strange,” Tony says. Stephen conjures up a portal with his sling ring and jumps through it. Tony goes to prepare the airship.

“Here, let me help you,” Steve says, putting an arm underneath (y/n). He helps guide her into the wheelchair, making sure her back doesn’t rub against anything.

“Thank you,” she says, “but my foot really does feel better. I don’t think I need the wheelchair anymore.”

“You sprained it a few hours ago. You need to stay in this chair for a few more days.” (y/n) rolls her eyes, but does as he says.

“Have you gotten food yet?” Steve asks, just now realizing that she probably hasn’t.

“Uh, no, I haven’t.”

“You need some food.” Steve starts to push (y/n) out of the room. “Friday, if Tony asks, we're headed up to my level.”

“Will do sir,” Friday responds. (y/n) jumps at her voice.

“What the hell is that?” she asks.

“Oh, that’s Friday, Tony’s A.I. system.” They arrive at the elevator, and Steve presses number 87. The elevator shoots up, and (y/n) stares in awe over the city.

“Wow,” she breathes, unable to help herself.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Steve says, looking down in (y/n), amazed by her features illuminated by the city lights. He catches himself and looks away, embarrassed. They arrive at their floor, and Steve leads her to a kitchen.

“Yesss,” he says as he sees leftover pizza on the counter. “Want some?” he asks (y/n).

“That would be amazing,” she says with a smile. She gets out of her chair and sits on a barstool while Steve reheats the pizza. He throws the pizza on some plates and turns around.

“I told you that you needed to stay in that chair,” he says with a frown.

“I really don’t feel that bad,” she says, taking a bite of the pizza. She almost gasps, overwhelmed by the amazing combination of flavors. She has to consciously slow down, but even so, she finishes both of her pieces within a few minutes. “That is the most amazing thing I’ve ever had,” (y/n) says with a groan.

“Haven’t you had pizza before?” Steve asks.

“I probably have, because I knew what it was in theory, I just don’t remember it.”

“Well, I’ll have to show you sometime what real pizza taste like sometime, not this cardboard. Do you want some more?” Steve says with a smirk.

(y/n) nods, and Steve sets two more pieces before her. “You eat those. I have to go talk to my team.” Steve exits the room. (y/n) devours the pizza slices as rapidly as the first two, then leans back in her chair, her stomach full.

Steve wakes up the team, drawing a string of complaints and curse words from Sam and Clint. “Seriously man, you couldn’t let us sleep for a few more hours?” Sam whines.

“I’m about to head out with (y/n) to a safe house.” Steve relays what had happened the past few hours, including the team that came for (y/n), the tracking device, and the data that Tony had decrypted. “Nat, Clint, I would like you guys to stay here with Tony, and do as much research as you can on (y/n), try and figure out where she came from, if she has any family, that kinda thing. Also, keep working on decrypting the data, and send me copies of everything. Tony knows how to contact me. Sam, you’re coming with me.” Suddenly, Fridays voice comes over the speakers.

“Sir, Tony is ready for you at the top floor.”

“Let's head out,” he says to Sam. They walk out the door, and find (y/n) sitting in the kitchen still.

“Friday told me that Tony was ready,” she said.

“We’re headed up now. (y/n), this is Sam. He’ll be going with us.” Steve helped (y/n) up from barstool and into the wheelchair, despite her many protests. He wheels her out to the elevator, Sam in tow, and they head up to the top floor.


	4. Chapter 4

(y/n) rests in the aircraft, attempting to sleep. Steve insisted that she lay down, and forced her to take one of the two private rooms aboard the aircraft. The other was occupied by Michelle, a nurse that Stark made them bring, in case (y/n) needed any more medical care. Sam and Steve were in the main space together. (y/n) could hear their muffled voices through her door. She closed her eyes, and tried to sleep again.

***

_ Men rushed at her from all sides, pinning her down on the ground, beating her with their fists. (y/n) begged them to stop. The men began to drag her into a small room. They forced her into a machine, and pain raced through her body. She cried, begging with them to stop, please, stop. The machine raced again, and she screamed. _

(y/n) jolted up in her bed, tears running down her face. Her body was shaking, the nightmare still fresh in her mind. She curled up against the corner of her bed and pulled the blanket closer around her. Sleep had eluded her again. She wiped the tears from her face and forced herself to stop crying, shoving the nightmare down in her mind. (y/n) focused on her breathing, taking a steady breath in, then forcing it out. She did this for several minutes, until her heart rate returned to it’s normal pace. She couldn’t stay in this room any longer. (y/n) stood up and walked toward the door, wincing every time she put weight on her bad ankle. She opened the door. The lights were dim. Sam was asleep, laying in a chair. Steve stood at the front of the airship, staring out at the stars. He turned when he heard (y/n)’s door open.

“You should be-”

“I know,” (y/n) said, interrupting him. “I should be sitting.” She slumped into a chair and pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees, and stared at the stars.

“Can’t sleep?” Steve asks.

(y/n) shakes her head, continuing to look outside. They floated above the clouds, and the crescent moon illuminated the tops of clouds. Steve walks over to her, and tripped over a chair, knocking it over and crashing to the floor. Sam wakes up.

“God, Steve, can’t you let a man rest?” Sam stretches his arms, and sees (y/n). “Good, she’s up. Is it cool if I steal your room?” (y/n) nods. He gets up and walks to the room, shutting the door behind him.

Steve sits next to (y/n). He looks over, and sees the moonlight reflect off her tear streaked face. He opens his mouth to ask how she’s doing, but changes his mind, and stares at the stars alongside her.

***

At 5:13, the airship beeped, indicating that they would soon land. Steve got up to wake Sam and Michelle. (y/n) stayed sitting, unmoved from her previous position. Sam stretched as he moved, yawning and muttering complaints about his lack of sleep. Michelle stumbled in, her eyes glazed over and her hair tangled. Steve herded them over to where (y/n) was sitting, and explained the plan.

“We’ll land in a few minutes. After that, we’re taking 2 four-wheelers to the safe house. Sam and Michelle will ride on one, (y/n) and I on the other. The safe house is already stocked with most supplies, but we’ll carry clothing and a few perishables with us. We’ll remain there for a few days, or until Tony gives the ok to go back. Any questions?” Steve asked. Sam and Michelle's zombie-like stares were the only response he got. “Good. Sam, do you want to land us?”

Sam grumbled an agreement, then went over to the pilot seat. He landed the aircraft in a small clearing. He opened the hangar door, then he and Steve wheeled out two large four-wheelers. Steve grabbed six duffle bags and loaded them onto the vehicles. He went over to (y/n) and helped her up, bringing one of her arms around his broad shoulders and supporting her waist with his other arm. He helped her to the four-wheeler and placed her on the back. Steve got in front, and (y/n) wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling the firm muscle beneath his jacket. Sam and Michelle mimic their pose. Sam closes the hangar door with a remote, then nods toward Steve, indicating that he was ready to go. The four-wheelers roar to life, and Steve takes the lead, going down a small dirt road. (y/n) leans against Steve, tightening her grip on him as they bounced over unseen branches and bumps. The forest was dark, the only lights coming from the front of the four-wheeler. After roughly 30 minutes, they arrive at a small cabin, barely lit by the vehicle's light. Steve gets off the four-wheeler and (y/n) swings off beside him, ignoring the throbbing in her ankle, and grabs two duffel bags, carrying them inside. She is stopped by Steve, who grabs her waist with one hand and steals her duffel bags with the other.

“Steve, let me help,” she begs.

“You can help when you’re better,” he says, bringing her arm around his shoulders once more to support her. He grabs the third duffel bag off the four-wheeler and heads inside with (y/n). Sam follows with two more duffel bags and Michelle brings in the final one. Steve flicks one the lights. The cabin is small, containing a kitchen, a living room with a small couch, coffee table, and tv, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Steve guides (y/n) over to the couch, then sets the duffel bags on the ground. “Sam, you and I will take this bedroom, and (y/n), Michelle, you guys will be in this one. Each bedroom has two twin beds, so we should be fine,” Steve says, motioning to various doorways. He starts sorting through the duffel bags. Sam and Michelle set theirs down next to him. “Sam, here’s yours,” he said, giving Sam a bag. “(y/n), here’s yours,” he sets a bag down near (y/n), “and Michelle, here’s yours.” He hands Michelle her bag. Sam and Michelle bring their bags to their room, and Steve starts to help (y/n) up, grabbing her bag as well.

“Steve, this won’t work, if you have keep helping me everywhere,” (y/n) protests. “I swear, I’ll be fine walking by myself.”

“I don’t want you to hurt yourself more by putting unnecessary weight on your ankle,” Steve responds.

“How about we let Michelle examine it again, and if she gives me the go ahead to walk, I can walk, but if she doesn’t, you can carry me all you want,” (y/n) suggests, a pleading look in her eye.

Steve ponders her suggestion. “Fine, but if she says you  _ can’t _ walk, you won’t, and you won’t complain about any help either.”

“Fine,” (y/n) says. “Michelle, will you come help us real quick?”

“Sure,” Michelle says, coming out of her room. “What is it?”

“(y/n) wants you to see if she can walk on her ankle. She sprained it yesterday, but she swears it feels good enough to walk on,” Steve says.

“I’ll take a look,” Michelle responds. Steve sets (y/n) back down on the couch, and (y/n) props her foot on the coffee table. Michelle takes (y/n)’s ankle in her hand, stretching it and feeling around it. “Are you sure you sprained it yesterday?” she asked. “It feels like it was sprained a week ago.”

“Yeah, it was yesterday,” Steve says.

“Well, it feels like it should be fine to walk on, as long as you don’t strain yourself too much,” Michelle says. “You may still feel a bit of pain, but it should be ok. Let me know if you feel any sharp or major pain though. ”

(y/n) smiles at Steve, who smirks in return. “I guess you’re good to go then. A deal’s a deal,” Steve says. (y/n) grabs her duffel bag and strolls to her room with Michelle.

Steve does likewise. He tosses his bag on his bed, unpacking his clothes and few belongings that Tony had packed. Steve laid each article of clothing on the bed, refolding them, and organizing them. His fingers trace the pistol lying at the bottom of his bag. He picks it up, ensuring that it has a full magazine and one in the barrel. He hopes that he won’t have to use it, but no one knows her well enough to trust her. Steve places it in the nightstand next to his bed. Sam watches him.

“You sure you’ll be able to do it, if the time comes?” Sam asks. “It looks like you two are getting pretty close.”

“I’ll do what needs to be done, if I have to,” Steve replies. He puts all his clothes back into the bag, and sets it on the floor. “You can try and get a bit more sleep if you want,” Steve tells Sam, and exits the room. He grabs the last two duffel bags and brings them to the kitchen. He starts unpacking the various food items and placing them in the pantry and fridge. (y/n) follows him.

“Need any help?” she asks.

“Sure, you can help me put these up,” he motions toward the duffel bags. (y/n) grabs some food and helps Steve put them up. They finish shortly.

“Is there anything else I can help do?” she asks.

“No, not at the moment. I’m going to check the perimeter. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” Steve nods curtly to (y/n) before walking out of the back porch into the dark early morning. The sun’s first light was just beginning to rise over the horizon. (y/n) goes onto the porch and sits, watching her first sunrise as a free woman.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve walked a few hundred feet away from the cabin before pulling out his phone. He types out a text to Tony.

_ Got to the cabin. Checking the perimeter now. -S _

Steve holds onto his phone as he begins to walk in a slow circle around the cabin. His phone buzzes a few moments later.

_ good. weve got more data dcryptd. will send soon. any change with h? _

_ Her sprained ankle from yesterday is already healed enough to walk on. She may have accelerated healing. I’ll keep you updated. -S _

He tucks his phone into his pocket, and continues his walk.

***

The sun is in the sky by the time Steve gets back. (y/n) is inside on the couch, curled up, reading one of the books from the cabin. She glances at Steve as he walks through the door.

“Find anything interesting?” she asks.

“Nope, it looks like we’re good. What are you reading?” Steve asks. (y/n) has to glance at the cover again.

“ _ Brave New World _ . Seems pretty good so far.”

“Are Sam and Michelle still sleeping?”

“Yeah, as far as I can tell. It’s been pretty quiet.”

Steve heads into the kitchen. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“I’m good with anything.”

He pulls out a carton of eggs, bacon, and a few large potatoes. He lights the stove, and puts a pound of bacon in the pan. He rustles around the kitchen, opening and closing drawers and cupboards until he finds a knife and a cutting board. He washes the potatoes in the sink, then slices the potatoes into small slivers, then again, creating shreds of potatoes. He throws them in another pan, adding a pad of butter in with them. Steve grabs a spatula from a drawer and flips the bacon.

“Wow, I didn’t know you were such a cook,” (y/n) says, walking up behind him.

“Nah, it’s just basic stuff. How do you like your eggs cooked?”

(y/n) shrugs. “I don’t really know. Just make them however you like them.”

Steve scoops the bacon out of the pan, then cracks a dozen eggs into the pan. “Are we planning on feeding an army?” (y/n) asks.

Steve chuckles at her gibe. “I have a fast metabolism.”

(y/n) sits up on a counter and continues to watch Steve cook. “So, you never explained the thing where you were  _ alive _ during world war two,” she prods.

Steve continues to stir the hash browns. “I was born July 4th, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York. When the second world war came around, I wanted to do my part in defeating the nazis, as did everyone at that time. When I tried to sign up, though, they wouldn’t let me in, because I had asthma and heart problems. I kept trying, until I was picked up by a scientist named Erskine. He thought he could create a super soldier, and I was his first successful experiment. He was killed shortly after, and I was the only thing left of his work.” Steve paused, remembering the painful memory. “I was originally just a show monkey, a patriotic symbol of the war. They sent me overseas to help the troops, give them some encouragement, you know? While I was over there, I learned that one of my good friends was captured by Hydra. I went out to find him, and saved 400 other men on the way. After that, they let me out on the field, having me do secret missions, that sort of thing. Then Red Skull, the leader of Hydra at the time, sent a bomb over to America.” Steve paused, the memories racing through his mind. “I was the only one aboard that plane, and in order to divert it, I flew it into the arctic ocean. I thought I was dead, but seventy years later, they dug me up out of the ice, and here I am.” Steve turned off the stove, leaving the hash browns in the pan and scooping the eggs onto a plate.

“Wow... that’s...”

“Weird?” Steve chuckled.

“Not the word I was going to use, but it works.”

Steve grabs a plate and snags six of the eggs and half of the hash browns and bacon for himself. (y/n) hops of the counter and grabs food as well.

“How did you adapt to it, the new world?” she asks.

“I guess I just kind of accepted it. The culture is the same, the only thing that changed was the technology.”

Sam walks out of his room. “Mm, Steve, did you cook?” Sam grabs a plate and shovels food on, sticking a piece of bacon in his mouth as he goes. He sits at the small table, and Steve and (y/n) follow him. “So, what’s the plan now? Are we just going to sit around waiting for Tony to tell us to come back?”

“Pretty much,” Steve says, putting an egg in his mouth. “You and I will do more research on possible Hydra locations based off the intel we got at the last one.”

(y/n) finishes her breakfast, then brings her plate over to the sink and washes it. She picks up her book and sprawls back on the couch.

***

Later, Steve sits on his bed, reading the new information that Natasha and Tony had decrypted. He watched some of the videos, but had to stop because of their gruesome nature. Instead, he read through the notes left by the scientist. Steve gathered that (y/n) was moved there from a different facility, and had her mind wiped multiple times. The notes mention that she had been altered, but didn’t mention how, only that the scientist at the new facility were to test her physical endurance and how fast she healed. He discovered that the scars on the back were from a whip, after she tried to escape. The scientist put her through various other traumatic events, to see if any of them triggered memories. So far, only one  _ may _ have triggered a memory, but the scientist didn’t mention it more in the limited notes that Steve had. (y/n)’s healing was definitely accelerated. Wounds that would normally take a few weeks to heal took a few days.  _ That explains why her ankle healed so quickly _ he thought. Steve continued to delve into the information.

***

_ You must eliminate them _ , the voice crackled over the speaker.  _ Do it while you are alone. Make it clean and quick. Claim self defense. They will believe you _ .

“Understood.”


	6. Chapter 6

(y/n) tramples through the underbrush, exploring the area around the cabin, savoring the sounds around her. The sun beats down on her neck, filling her body with warmth and vitality. She leans against an ancient pine, the scent washing around her body. (y/n) continues exploring, yet always staying within a few hundred feet of the cabin. She comes along a small stream, and runs her fingers in the water. A minnow swims by, fighting the current as it races upstream. (y/n) jumps when she hears her name being called. She heads back to the cabin.

Steve spots (y/n) as she comes through the trees and rushes over to her. “Where’ve you been?!” he demands.

(y/n) tensed up. “I was bored, so I went on a walk.” Her hands tightened at her sides and her body becomes still. Steve notices her defensive posture and eases his tone.

“Sorry, I was just worried about you. No one had any idea where you were. In the future, tell me where you’re going.” Steve walks next to (y/n) as they head inside. “Find anything interesting?”

(y/n) shakes her head. “Just a forest.”

***

Steve sat, watching one of the films that Tony packed for him, unbeknownst to Steve. ‘Cult Classics’, Tony called them. Cultural milestones that Steve missed in the ice. He watched closely as Frodo and the other hobbits encounter a strange, cloaked creature at the beginning of their journey. He turns as a door creaks open behind him. (y/n) walks out, her eyes weary and hair ruffled. She plops down on the small couch beside him.

“Mind if I join you?” she asks, not really waiting for an answer.

“Go ahead,” Steve says.

“What are you watching?” she asks, her eyes squinting at the screen.

“It’s called ‘Lord of the Rings’. Tony has a bunch of movies he wants me to watch. I just started it. Have you seen it before?”

(y/n) shrugs.

“I’ll start it from the beginning,” Steve says, reaching for the remote.

“No no no you don’t have to do that,” (y/n) protested, reaching to stop Steve, but he rewinds it anyway, starting it over. (y/n) slumps back, angrily resigned at his decision. “Thanks,” she grumbles.

Steve looked over and smiled at her. “Shouldn’t you be asleep right now?”

“Shouldn’t  _ you _ be asleep?” she responds. “It’s like, 12. We all went to bed hours ago.”

“Super soldier, remember? I can get by with less sleep. What’s your excuse?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” (y/n) says, wrapping her arms around herself. Steve decides not to push it, and they watch the movie in silence, entranced by the classic story and cinematography that was far ahead of its time. After a while, Steve glances over at (y/n) and finds her curled into a ball, shivering unknowingly.

“Geez, (y/n), are you cold? You should have just said something.” Steve gets up and grabs a blanket.

“Huh? Oh no, I’m fine. Steve, you don’t have to-”. Steve wraps a blanket around (y/n), drawing her closer to him in the process. He hangs his arm around her shoulders, and she leans into his warm frame, her shivers slowly stopping. They continue to watch the movie, and (y/n)’s eyelids start to slowly close, and eventually she gives into sleep’s embrace.

The movie finishes, and Steve looks down at (y/n), smiling. He chooses to stay there, careful not to wake her. He knew she needed the sleep, and he had nothing else to do anyways. Soon, (y/n) starts whimpering, and Steve smiles, wondering what she could be dreaming about. (y/n) mumbles some more, and Steve heard her say “No”, her voice broken and cold. Steve moves, trying to wake (y/n), but it only aggravates her, and (y/n) starts thrashing in the blanket. Steve gathers her up in his arms and holds her tight to him. “Hey, (y/n), wake up, it’s just a dream, (y/n), everything’s ok, I’m right here, wake up (y/n).” He keeps talking to her until she jerks awake, hyperventilating, tears falling down her face. (y/n) looks frantically around the room until she remembers where she is. She looks down and sees Steve’s arms still holding her. She wipes the tears from her face and calms her breathing.

“Steve, I’m- I’m so sorry, I- I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I-”

“Hey, it’s ok (y/n), just as long as you’re ok,” Steve loosens his grip around her and looks down with expectant eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” (y/n) says, avoiding Steve’s gaze. She removes herself from his arms and stands. “Do you want to watch the second one?” she asks, ruffling through the disks.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve sits on his bed the next day, opening an email from Natasha.  _ Thought you might want to see this. -N _ . Steve clicks on the link when he hears a soft knock on his door. (y/n) stands in the doorway.

“Hey, what’s up?” Steve smiles, and closes his laptop.

“Um, well, I was wondering, if, uh, if you would help me, uh,” (y/n) fidgets, trying to figure out what to say. “Well, uh, back in the hospital, with those men, I was- I was completely defenseless, and if you didn’t show up, they would have taken me, and I don’t really want to be in that situation again, so, uh, I was wondering, if, um, you could teach me how to defend myself, so if I’m ever in that situation again, I can do something about it.” (y/n) looks up, judging Steve’s reaction.

“Sure, of course,” Steve says, getting up out of his bed. “Do you want to start now?”

“Sure, yeah, that’d be awesome!” (y/n) smiles, and follows Steve outside.

“We don’t have any pads or other equipment here with us, so we’ll have to go outside on the grass.” Steve walks outside, then turns to (y/n), arms folded around his chest. “Now, remember, physical confrontation is the last thing you want to do. Prevention is the best self defense. Also, if there is anyway you can defuse a situation before it turns violent, you need to try that. However, there are sometimes when violence is unavoidable. For now, I want you to focus on being able to get away from any attackers. Here, grab my wrist.” (y/n) grabs Steve’s wrist, and he turns his wrist around and grabs (y/n)’s arm. Steve teaches (y/n) how to do the same, then guides her through different escape techniques to escape from various different grips and holds. After a few hours, Steve stops. “Wow, you’re pretty good.” He smiles and wipes sweat from his forehead. “Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to subdue the attackers for when you can’t get away, but for now, lets call it a day.” Steve and (y/n) walk back inside. “Are Sam and Michelle back from their hike yet?”

“Yeah, I think they slipped in while we were training.”

“Ok. I have some work I need to get done.” Steve heads back toward his room.

“Oh sorry did I keep you from it?” (y/n)’s eyebrows crease in guilt.

“No not at all. I was glad to have something to do.” Steve smiles at (y/n), then headed into his room. (y/n) headed to hers and picked up the book she was reading, flopping onto her bed. Steve opened the email from Natasha again.

_ Thought you might want to see this. -N _ . He clicks on it, and a recording of (y/n) pops open.

_ She sits in her cell, curled in a ball, her body exhausted. They had run tests on her, forcing her to run until she couldn’t move, running currents through her body until she passed out. She hoped that they would let her rest. Her door is opened from the outside by a group of intoxicated guards. They stumble in, laughing among themselves. “Hey guys, you’re right, she’s not that bad looking.” They laugh again, walking toward her. “Hey, pretty, are you going to speak?” asks one guard. “Yeah, come on, say something,” says another guard. She sits, defensively staring at them from across the room. “Well, if she won’t say anything to us, we should make her,” says the third guard, walking over to her. He picks her up, forcing her against the wall, and squeezes her jaw open with his hand. She grunts, trying to push him away. “Come on, say something,” the guard says, squeezing harder. She tries to speak, attempting to stop them, but she is unable to move her jaw enough to form words, only sounds. The guards laugh again, and the one holding her up releases her, and she backs away, massaging her jaw, eyeing them wearily. The guard goes back to the other two, grabbing a bottle from them and taking a gulp. He walks over to the door, shutting it. She starts to breath heavier, her eyes searching for an escape. The guard walks back to her, and she smells the alcohol on his breath, sickly sweet. His eyes brush over her body slowly, taking in her curves. He meets her eyes again, smiling sickly. He pushes her against the wall, and the other two guards rush up to help him. She struggles, pushing them away, actually able to knock one guard to the ground, but they over power her. She screams, and they laugh, drunkenly attempting to rip her dress off her. Suddenly, the video glitches out, static filling the screen, and when it comes back, the guards are thrown across the room, their skin blackened, as if burned. (y/n) stands, shaking, crying, before she faints to the ground, her nose bleeding. The screen cuts to a scientist. _

_ “It appears that the experiments have been successful. The guards show signs of electrocution, along with multiple broken bones. This suggests that Subject 18 has both electric manipulation and telekinetic powers. If so, the subject is the first successful experiment since von Strucker’s miracle, although we still don’t know what made Subject 18 successful and the others failures. The subject will be given the suppressant so she doesn’t destroy anything else or make any attempts to escape, and will be moved to a different facility shortly, and they will continue with the subjects procedure there. In the meantime, we will continue our experiments on the subjects physical attributes and make note of any other... strange abilities that the subject shows.” _

The video stops. Steve sits in his bed, trying to understand what he just saw. He opens his phone and types out a message to Natasha.

_ When did this happen?-S _

He sits, impatiently waiting for Nat to respond. He watches a few more videos. Steve notes (y/n)’s enhanced physical attributes. She seems to be able to run faster than Steve, and lift almost as much as him. Her endurance is incredible for a normal human, almost matching Steve’s. His phone buzzes, a new message from Nat.

_ the night before we came. after, it looks like they injected her with something. tony checked her blood work, and it contained a formula that was also found in the syringe that they tried to inject her with the night in the hospital. we assume it’s the “suppressant” that the scientist talked about in the video. strange also felt something in her, something similar to wanda. has h shown any weird signs lately? -n _

_ None that I’ve seen. She has nightmares that keep her from sleep, but nothing similar to that shown in the video. She does seem to be showing signs of advanced physical attributes. I trained with her some today, and she was definitely stronger and faster than a normal person, even with her weakened state from the facility. How close are you guys to decrypting all of the data? -S _

_ almost done, although tony recommends that you stay up there for a bit longer to see if any of her powers show up. the scientist mentioned another facility that she’d be transferred to, and a facility that she came from, along with 17 other experiments. were looking into those, and have found a few possible locations. going to check them out tmr. -n _

_ K. Keep me updated. -S _

_ will do. going to miss you on the field :/ -n _

Steve smiles softly at Nat’s text, then gets up. He walks to the kitchen, and glances at Sam and (y/n) out the window. Sam appears to have found a bow and a quiver of arrows, and is instructing (y/n) on how to use them. A crude bullseye was painted on a tree. Sam lifts (y/n)’s arm and helps her draw back her arm. He backs away from (y/n), and she shoots a near-perfect bullseye. (y/n) turns to Sam, a triumphant grin across her face. Sam smiles and shakes his head, talking to (y/n). Steve walks to the porch, joining them outside.

“Steve, did you see that? She just shot a bullseye, first time!” Sam exclaims.

(y/n) blushes. “It was probably just beginners luck,” she says humbly, but can’t hide the smile on her face.

“Well, try it again then,” Steve says, folding his arms across his chest. “Unless you think you can’t.”

(y/n)’s eyes narrow, and her grin changes from triumphant to playful. She grabs another arrow out of the quiver, knocks it, draws it back slowly, and releases it, getting another bullseye. She does the same with three other arrows, then looks back at Steve coyly.

“Beginners luck, my ass,” Sam mumbles under his breathe. “You’re sure you’ve never done this before?”

“I can’t remember ever doing this, but I might have, before they did ‘whatever’.” (y/n) yanks the arrows out of the tree.

“Well, it looks like you have a new found skill,” Steve says. “We’ll have to introduce you to Clint when we get back. In the meantime, do you guys want dinner?”

“Sure. Anything I can do to help? I don’t think I know a lot about cooking, but I’m willing to learn.” (y/n) walks with Steve and Sam back to the kitchen.

“You guys can do that, I’m gonna get a shower real quick.” Sam goes to the bathroom and shuts the door behind him.

(y/n) hops up on the counter next to Steve. “So, what’re we having?”

Steve glances around the kitchen, taking mental inventory of the supplies, then looks back to (y/n). “How does a homemade pizza sound? It looks like we could make dough and sauce with what we have here.”

(y/n) ponders this for a moment. “That sounds amazing, but will it be as good as that other pizza?”

Steve chuckles. “Trust me, as long as we don’t burn it, it’ll taste much better. Why don’t you go ahead and grab the flour, sugar, and salt from over there while I get the rest of the stuff.”

“Sounds good to me.” (y/n) hops of the counter, headed to the cabinets. Steve finds the yeast and olive oil, then preheats the oven. He is preparing a space on the counter for them to work when he hears a thump behind him. Steve turns around, and sees (y/n) clutching the counter, her face pale and the supplies fallen to her feet. Her eyes are glazed over, staring at nothing. Steve hurries to her.

“(y/n), are you ok?” Steve grabs her arm, shaking it slightly. (y/n) slowly loses her glazed look, then looks around the room.

“Oh... shoot, sorry I dropped the stuff.” (y/n) gets down and starts to pick up the dropped supplies. Steve stops her, looking into her eyes.

“(y/n), are you sure you’re fine? You were completely out of it for a few seconds.”

“Huh, I must have blacked out. Sorry,” (y/n) says, continuing to pick up the supplies. Steve helps, continuing to shoot (y/n) worried glances. They set the supplies on the counter. “Ok, so where do we start?”


	8. Chapter 8

After a hearty meal, Steve, Sam, (y/n), and Michelle sat in the living area, Michelle sitting against the wall and the other three squeezed together on the couch. They watched  _ E.T. _ , another movie that Tony had packed. After the movie, Sam and Michelle excused themselves to bed, while (y/n) and Steve stayed up to watch  _ The Princess Bride _ . After that, they watched  _ The Godfather _ , which (y/n) fell asleep during, leaning against the couchs armrest.

***

_ You must do it soon _ the voice crackled.

“I know, but she’s hardly alone. Every night, she’s with Rogers, and during the day she’s always in public view. I’ll do it when I get an opportunity, unless you want me to do it in front of the others.”

The voice was quiet, pondering.  _ Do it alone, if possible, but make sure it is done before you leave the cabin, regardless of who is around. _

***

The days in the cabin were dull and monotonous. In the day, (y/n) worked on self defense and archery, both of which she excelled at. Steve helped (y/n), and continued to do research on her, seeing if he could find any connection to her past. The supposed Hydra facilities that Natasha looked into were busts, nothing more than empty buildings, no sign of any activity. Sam and Michelle hiked, read, did anything to stave off the unrelenting boredom that plagued them all. The days there stringed together, each inseparable from the rest. Steve grew more and more fond of (y/n), amazed at her resilient and warm personality, despite what she’s been through. (y/n) grew more trusting of Steve, although still guarded, still not sure if this was real, or just another test that Hydra was putting her through. Finally, Tony messaged Steve, recommending that they come back. Steve and (y/n) sat on the porch, their final sunset at the cabin.

“I must say, I won’t miss this,” Steve says, looking over at (y/n). “I mean, the sunsets are pretty great, but other than that, I’ve been bored to hell.”

“It was nice, but I’m ready to go somewhere else,” (y/n) smirks, looking back at Steve. Her bruises are mostly gone, and almost nothing remains of her small cuts. The larger ones started to form scars. Her accelerated healing seemed to only work on larger wounds, and still left scars. Steve gave (y/n) a friendly hug around her shoulders, then she stands up and walks to the door. “I’m going to make sure I grabbed everything.”

(y/n) turns away from Steve, and finds a gun pointed at her, a few feet away. Her training kicked in from her practice with Steve, and she grabs the wrist, twisting the gun away from her as she grabs it, and she hears it discharge. She grabs the gun in her hands and points it at the individual, backing away. Steve runs in, and finds (y/n) shaking, pointing the gun at Michelle, both breathing heavily. Michelle launches herself at (y/n), but Steve steps in the way, grabbing her, and throwing her against the wall. He knocks her out, so that she won’t pose a further threat to anyone. Sam runs in from his bedroom.

“What the hell just happened?!” Sam asks.

“I- I don’t know, Michelle just, just was pointing a gun at me, and I just grabbed it, and-” (y/n) was shaking, still holding the gun in her hand.

“Hey (y/n), it’s ok, just give me the gun. Sam, go get some rope, we need to tie her up,” Steve says, motioning toward Michelle. He walks over to (y/n) and gingerly grabs the gun, putting the safety on. “There, everything’s fi- shit (y/n), are you ok?!” Steve looks at her side, seeing the blood start to run down it. “Shit, sit down (y/n). Shit, uh, Sam, I need some bandages, now! Find me a first aid kit.” Steve yells. Sam walks back in with the rope, then sees (y/n) sitting on the table, Steve’s bloodied hands putting pressure on her side.

“Oh, shit.” Sam says, dropping the rope.

“First aid, now. There’s some stuff in that cabinet,” Steve motioned with his head. Sam rushes to the cabinet and finds the first aid kit. He brings it to Steve, and Steve sets aside gauze. He lifts (y/n)’s shirt. “Sam, get me a clean t-shirt out of my bag.” Sam obliges, then Steve rips the shirt into clean, even pieces. He uses them to sop up most of the blood around the entrance wound and exit wound. Steve then wraps her side tightly with the gauze. “Ok (y/n), lay down and stay here.” (y/n) obeys, her face pale. Steve then grabs the rope. “Ok Sam, Michelle’s going to ride on the back of your four wheeler again. I’m going to tie her up so she can’t move, but if she tries to do anything, just push her off and we’ll deal with it later. Start loading the gear up while I tie her.” Sam grabs the bags and leaves, while Steve wraps rope strategically around the still-unconscious Michelle. Steve picks her up, then carries her outside, tieing her securely to the four wheeler, making it so she couldn’t move even if she was conscious. Sam loads up the last bags while Steve heads inside. (y/n) lays, her mind floating, thinking of everything and nothing at once, when Steve disrupts her mindless wandering. “(y/n), I know this will probably hurt, but I’m going to help you out to the four wheeler.”

“Oh don’t worry, I can’t feel it at all,” (y/n) says, her mind away from her body. Steve curses internally, knowing that no pain was worse, but picks (y/n) up in his arms and carries her out anyway. He sits (y/n) on the four wheeler, then he sits down behind her, using his arms to brace her while they were driving. (y/n) looks around, her eyes glazed, and she leans against Steve when he starts the four wheeler. Sam starts his as well, and they start driving away, down the same dirt road they used to get there. (y/n) rocked back and forth against Steve, driven by the four wheelers momentum.

“Stay with me (y/n),” Steve says, almost to himself, as he drives down the ever-darkening path. (y/n) turns her head toward him.

“Did you see that? I got the gun away from her. I wasn’t completely helpless.” (y/n) says, a small smile gracing her lips.

“Yeah, you almost did it perfectly, you just need to not get shot,” Steve says bitterly.

“Yeah,” (y/n) says, almost as an afterthought, completely missing Steve’s tone. They continue to race through the trees, and Steve feels a growing warmness on his chest as blood leaks through (y/n)’s bandage.

“(y/n), put pressure right here.” Steve takes (y/n)’s hand in his own and places it over her exit wound. (y/n) maintains a semi-steady pressure on it as they continue to go through the forest. She leans against Steve, her breathing ragged, trying to stay awake. The sky darkened around them, the sun fully set. (y/n) looked up, and saw the moon peaking through the trees. Finally, they arrived back at the aircraft. Steve picks (y/n) up and rushes her inside, placing her on a bed, then rummaging through the first aid supplies on the airship. He goes back to (y/n) and gingerly lifts her shirt to right above the wound. He cuts open the gauze, and cleans the wound again, sopping up the blood with clean, cotton cloths. (y/n) tries to hold back her groans as he pokes around the wound, looking for any shards or other debris. Sam finished bringing the four wheelers inside, and started up the airship, bringing it into the air. Michelle lay motionless on the back of Sam’s four wheeler. Steve calls Tony, still by (y/n), holding a cloth to her wound.

“Tony, you need to walk me through how to treat a bullet wound. (y/n) was shot, and is still bleeding heavily. We need to keep her from bleeding out until we get there.”

“(y/n) was shot?! Geez, by who?” Tony asked.

“Michelle. I’ll explain later. Right now, talk me through what to do.”

Tony thinks. “Ok, I’m going to walk you through how to dress her wound out there. First, you need to keep constant pressure on the wound for at least 10 minutes. That’ll stop the bleeding. After that, wrap the wound tightly, and stay with her. Make sure you check for signs of internal bleeding, and she’s probably already in shock.”

“I don’t feel shocked,” (y/n) mutters under her breath.

“You need to make sure she stays warm. She can sleep, but make sure you keep an eye on her while she does.”

“Ok,” Steve says. “Anything else I need to do?”

“Call me immediately if she’s showing any signs of internal bleeding.” Tony hung up. Steve still sat by (y/n), holding the cloth to her wounds. Sam comes in the room.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asks.

“Go check on Michelle, make sure she can’t move.” Steve says, looking over his shoulder to Sam. Sam leaves the room, and Steve directs his attention back to (y/n). (y/n) grimaces, trying to maintain a steady breath. “Hey (y/n), everythings going to be ok, ok?” (y/n) shakily nods her head. Sam walks back in.

“Steve, how hard did you hit her?”

“Not that hard, why?”

“She’s dead.”

Steve turns to look at Sam. “Dead?”

Sam nods. “I checked for a pulse, breathing, anything. She’s definitely dead.”

Steve thinks for a moment, his mind flashing back to previous Hydra agents. “Check her mouth, look for any signs of asphyxiation.” Sam goes, and comes back.

“You’re right Steve. It looks like cyanide poisoning.”

Steve nods thoughtfully. “She was definitely Hydra then. Go ahead and put her in one of the bedrooms.” Sam leaves again. Steve turns to (y/n), watching her pale face attempt to remain motionless. (y/n) tried not to show Steve the pain that she was feeling, now that the initial shock and hormones from being shot has worn off. She focused on drawing in a breath, feeling the air fill her and ignoring the muscles and organs moving around her wound, and then releasing her breath. (y/n) felt cold, and attempted to suppress her shivers. All she wanted to do was sleep. She felt Steve’s warm hands pressing on her side, one pushing up from under her back and the other pushing down. Her mind wandered slowly, thinking of her time at the cabin, the facility, Steve, Natasha, Sam, Tony, Michelle, anything to keep her from remembering the searing pain in her abdomen. Her mind wandered back to her breaths again, and (y/n) felt her body fill up with air, and back out again. Steve watched (y/n), keeping track of the time on his phone. He felt her ragged breathing in between his hands, and watched her eyes wander, flitting across the ceiling. He felt the bleeding slow. Eventually, ten minutes had passed. Steve slowly removed his hands, making sure that the bleeding had truly stopped, then wrapped (y/n)’s abdomen in soft, white gauze. (y/n) failed to suppress a groan as Steve pulled the bandage tighter.

“Is that too tight?” He asked.

“No, I’m fine,” (y/n) said through gritted teeth. Steve finished wrapping it, then grabbed (y/n)’s wrist, feeling for her pulse. He felt it, beating weakly but steadily.

“Stay laying down, I’m going to grab some blankets.” Steve left, and (y/n) stayed on the bed, feeling around her wound with her hand. Steve returned, and lay the blankets on (y/n). “How are you feeling?”

“As good as I can with a hole through me,” (y/n) said with a soft laugh, still shaking despite the warmth of the blankets. Steve grabs a chair and sits next to (y/n), brushing her hair out of her face. The lights dim as Sam lowers the lights of the airship, and (y/n) drifts off into a dreamless sleep, her body exhausted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know Steve probably knows how to treat a bullet wound, but I did this to bring Tony back into the story for a bit. Also, I tried to be as medically accurate as I could, but I'm not sure I got everything right. Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

A few hours later, they arrive at Stark tower. They are once again greeted by a team of paramedics, who wisk (y/n) of to a surgery room. Steve follows them, and Sam goes to a room, falling asleep almost immediately. Michelle’s body is brought to an autopsy room, where they learn that she was, indeed, killed by cyanide poisoning. She had a fake tooth, filled with cyanide, and when she found herself tied up, cover exposed, certainly headed to the Avengers, she decided to take her own life instead of giving up information about Hydra.

(y/n) was taken to a surgery room, and sedated with her permission. The team of doctors immediately started to give her blood, replenishing all that she lost. They examined her wound, removing shrapnel from the bullet and ensuring that the bullet left her body completely. They closed the wound, making sure that none of her organs or arteries were torn. Steve sat in the room, watching (y/n) and making sure that she was ok. After the doctors doubled check her vital signs and made sure that they didn’t miss anything, they brought (y/n) to a secured room. Steve sat next to her in a chair, waiting for (y/n) to wake up, and fell asleep.

***

Steve woke later, feeling rested. He looked up, and saw (y/n) sitting up in her bed, reading a novel. (y/n) turned to him and smiled.

“I thought super soldiers didn’t need sleep,” she said with a smirk.

Steve stretched and yawned. “We don’t need as much sleep. How long have you been up? Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I’ve only been up for a few hours, and anyways, you looked like you needed the sleep. The nurse brought some food, there on the table next to you. I already ate.” Steve grabbed the plate and started eating.

“How are you feeling?” Steve asked.

“Well, the pain meds are great, so I can’t really complain.” Steve chuckled. “So, what’s the gameplan now?” (y/n) asked.

“I’m going to take you to Wakanda. That’s our current base of operations. We’ll camp out there for a bit, and I was thinking that you would maybe want to continue your training.”

(y/n)’s eyes lit up. “You mean, like, train like you guys do, and be able to help people, like you do?”

Steve nodded, smiling at her reaction. “Yeah, if you want to. You did pretty good back there, even with your limited training. You're already proficient with the bow, and even though you did get shot, you still managed to get the gun away from a trained Hydra agent. I feel like you have a lot of potential.”

(y/n)’s eyes started to brim with tears, her face breaking out into a huge grin. “I would love too. I, uh, when can we start?”

Steve chuckled. “When you get better. We’ll get back on an airship and head there later today. We shouldn’t really be here, but Tony was able to pull some strings for us. I’m going to go ahead and check on Sam, and make sure everything is prepped to go.”

***

Mid-afternoon, they boarded the airship. Steve, (y/n), and Sam flew over the ocean, to the rich land of Wakanda. There, they disembarked and headed inside T’Challa’s palace.

“Welcome back, Steve,” T’Challa said, his accent thick. “And hello to you, Ms. (y/n). Natasha has told me about you. It is an honor to meet you.” T’Challa extended his hand and (y/n) grasped it, shaking it firmly.

“The honor is mine,” (y/n) said with a smile.

“Sam,” T’Challa said with practiced politeness.

“T’Challa,” Sam said with a nod of his head. They remain, staring at each other, before breaking out in laughter and hugging.

“It is good to see you my friends,” T’Challa said, and lead them inside.

***

(y/n) dodged the fist, then grabbed it, and aimed her fist at Natasha’s abdomen. But before she could strike, Natasha brought her knee up and kneed (y/n) in the gut, directly into her almost healed wound. (y/n) groaned, and Natasha flipped her around, pinning her against the floor. (y/n) tried to escape, but couldn’t move. Natasha released her, and (y/n) stood up, breathing heavily.

“Tell me what you did wrong,” Natasha demanded.

(y/n) thought for a moment, catching her breath. “I was too eager to punch you, so I left myself exposed, giving you room and time to attack.”

Natasha smiled. “Good. Let’s try it one more time.” (y/n) and Natasha stood on opposite sides of the training mat, preparing to duel, when the door slide open.

“Hey,” Steve said. “Mind if I watch?”

“Sure,” Nat said, smiling. “You can try fighting her if you want.”

“Hmph, I might, but I want to watch you guys do it first.”

Nat nodded to (y/n), indicating the start of the fight, then launched herself at (y/n). (y/n) dodged her attack, and grabbed her from behind, wrapping her arms around Natasha’s throat. Natasha tried to break (y/n)’s grip, and when she couldn’t, she flipped (y/n) over her head, throwing her on the ground. Natasha tried to pin (y/n) on the ground, but (y/n) rolled out of the way, getting back on her feet. (y/n) blocked a high kick from Natasha, then a low kick, and dodged Nat’s fist, grasping it in her own hand. (y/n) twisted Natasha’s arm, forcing her to catch her balance, then aimed a kick at Natasha’s side, landing it and eliciting a sharp grunt from Natasha. Nat escaped from (y/n)’s grip on her arm, then reached toward (y/n). (y/n) ducked under Nat’s outstretched arms, but Natasha turned and grabbed (y/n). Nat tackled (y/n) to the ground, pinning her there. (y/n) struggled, trying to escape her grip, but was unable to. Natasha got up, and looked at (y/n).

“Remember to watch my feet. Then you’ll be able to tell what I’m going to do next.” Nat reached down, helping (y/n) up. “Steve, do you want a go?”

(y/n) smiled at Steve, inviting him to fight. “Sure,” Steve said, smiling back. He got up, and faced her on the mat. They stood a few feet apart, when Steve moved toward her, attempting to grab her from the side. (y/n) ducked under his arms and kicked his feet out from under him. Steve flew onto his back, and (y/n) pinned him down, straddling his waist with her hips and locking his arms to his chest with her arms. Steve bucks up and flips (y/n) onto her back, but she rolls out of the way before he can pin her down. (y/n) stands on the opposite side of the mat, and shoots Steve a playful grin. Steve gets up, and (y/n) runs toward him. Steve tries to grab her, but instead she kicks up, locking his head between her thighs, and flips him back onto his back, pinning him down again.

“Nat, she knows your secret move,” Steve says, laughing as (y/n) keeps him pinned down.

“She picked it up pretty quick,” Nat said with a smile as (y/n) released Steve.

“I’m going to go grab a shower, if we’re done training for today,” (y/n) says, looking to Steve and Natasha for approval. Nat nods, giving (y/n) permission to go, and (y/n) leaves, taking her water bottle with her. Nat grabs a towel and wipes her brow.

“So, she’s gotten pretty good,” Steve says, his face serious.

“She’s definitely had training before, even if she can’t remember it,” Natasha says. “She’s been able to beat me a few times, and I haven’t let her win. I think Hydra was planning on using her like they did me and Barnes, if they haven’t already used her.”

“Did you hear anything about her when you were with the KGB?” Steve asked.

“No, but I also didn’t know about Barnes until he shot me.” Nat says. “Do you think we should wake him and ask about her?”

Steve shakes his head. “No, I don’t think we should.” Steve and Natasha head out the door, and down the hallway they see (y/n), curled up in a ball against the wall beneath flickering fluorescents. Steve runs down to her, placing a hand on her back.

“(y/n), are you ok?” Her eyes are glazed over, and her face is pale. “(y/n), (y/n)!” Steve shouts, shaking her. Slowly, (y/n)’s eyes regain focus, and she looks at Steve questioningly.

“Steve, why am I on the ground?” she asks, trying to stand up.

“I don’t know, Natasha and I just found you out here on the ground. Do you have any- any recollection of how you got there?”

(y/n) stands, thinking. “I was walking down the hall, and then everything started shaking and went black, then you were next to me. That’s, that’s all I remember.”

“Ok, you probably just blacked out. You need to go lie down for a bit.” (y/n) nods, then heads to her room, still looking slightly dazed. Nat looks at Steve.

“Has she done this before?” Nat asks.

“A couple of weeks ago, at the cabin.”

“Did you notice the lights flickering? They stopped when she woke up.”

Steve nodded. “I’m not sure what to do.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been super busy. There will be more to come soon :)

(y/n) goes into her room and lays on her bed. She had been at T’Challa’s palace for only week and a half now, but it was starting to feel like home. She had trained almost every day with one of the avengers, and was proficient at almost everything she tried. It almost felt like muscle memory. She would do something one or two times, then be nearly perfect at it. Hand to hand combat was one of the few exceptions, but even at that, she felt like she could hold her own, for the most part. (y/n) laid on her bed for a few more minutes, then got up, heading to her shower. She stripped her clothes off, then turned on the shower. Before she got in, she stood in the mirror, looking at her reflection. She had gained weight in the few weeks that she had been away from the facility, and while still thin, she was no longer gaunt, and her figure had some curves to it now. She traced her fingers around her new scar, the entrance wound smaller than her finger, and the exit wound significantly larger and uglier. (y/n) looked at her appearance once more in the mirror and then went into the shower, letting the water rinse off her sweat. After, she put on clean clothes, a tank top and a pair of shorts. She dried her hair with her towel, and walked out of her room into the common area that the avengers shared. (y/n) sat next to Wanda, who was watching a show on television.

“So, how’s training going?” Wanda asked, her accent thick.

“Pretty good, I think,” (y/n) smiled at Wanda. “I’m still working at hand-to-hand combat with Nat, but I have a solid grip on everything else.”

“What are you doing tonight?” Wanda asked (y/n).

“Well, I have nothing planned, unless Steve or Nat want me to do more training. Why?”

“T’Challa is hosting a formal event, for many elites in Wakanda and the surrounding countries. He invited all of us, said it would be good publicity. Would you like to come with me? I have a dress that I think would fit you.”

“Sure, that sounds fun. When is it?”

“Not for a few hours. I’ll help you get ready.”

***

(y/n) stood awkwardly in a slim fitting, floor length black dress. It fit her figure perfectly, and still covered most of the scars on her arms, back, and legs. Wanda had picked it out for her, and insisted on doing her hair and makeup. (y/n)’s long, brown hair was curled into soft beach waves, and her eyes were lined with winged eyeliner, subtle enough not to be noticed at first, but enough to make her eyes look even bigger than they already were. Wanda’s final touch was a soft pink lipstick. (y/n) stood next to Wanda, gently stirring a shirley temple in her hand.

“Hey, loosen up (y/n), this isn’t a funeral,” Wanda says, nudging (y/n) on the hip. (y/n) attempts to relax, putting down her drink and keeping her arms at her sides. (y/n) see’s a man and a woman walk toward them. Wanda sees them as well.

“Alright, now just smile, and make small talk with them,” Wanda says, smiling at (y/n).

***

After an hour of small talk with various officials from different governments, (y/n) was sitting by the bar. Wanda was off flirting and talking to more people (y/n) didn’t recognize. She sat, swirling a new shirley temple, her eyes wandering around the room.

Steve saw (y/n), sitting, and walked over to her. He pulled up a chair next to her and sat.

“So, parties must not be your thing.”

(y/n) jumped, lost from her mindless daydream. She shrugged at Steve’s comment. “It’s not that I don’t like them, I just don’t know what to do at them. I’m not very good at small talk.”

Steve smiled. “What if we go somewhere else then?”

(y/n) looked at him. “Like where?”

“Have you been to the roof gardens yet?” he asked. (y/n) shook her head. “Here, I’ll show you” Steve got up, walking to the door. (y/n) gracefully followed behind him. They took an elevator up to the top floor, and Steve guided (y/n) down a maze of hallways and other rooms. They came to a door, and Steve opened it, inviting (y/n) through. (y/n) walked through the door and gasped, amazed by the intoxicating smells. The humid air washed over, rich and fertile. She breathed in the smell, letting it wash over her body. She then saw the flowers and plants, illuminated by the moon, in all colors imaginable. She went up to one, cupping the flower in her hand and smelling it. Steve watched, leaned against the door, as (y/n) went to different flowers. He smiled, amazed at her genuine joy. His eyes started to trace over her figure, her curves illuminated by the moonlight. He caught himself, blushing and ashamed at his thoughts. (y/n) looked up at Steve, her face caught in a childlike grin. She ran back over to him.

“This is amazing!” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and looked down at her eyes, large and vivid in the moonlight.

“I thought you would like it. It’s my little hide-a-way. Here, let me show you some of my favorites.” Steve grabbed (y/n)’s hand and lead her around the rooftop garden. After looking at all the plants, they sat on a bench, surrounded by small trees, staring at the moon and stars. They sat in silence, mesmerized by the galaxy and the stars. Steve looked to (y/n), about to say something, when the roof door swung open. Steve and (y/n) looked back, hearing drunken giggles, and saw two intoxicated people starting to strip.

“Why don’t we sneak out of here?” Steve suggested. (y/n) nodded, and they snuck back to the door. When they got in the hallway, they both started laughing at the two people outside. (y/n) looks to Steve.

“Well, it looked like they were in a hurry,” (y/n) said, her face red from laughter.

“Yeah,” Steve said, his smile wide as he looked at (y/n). They stood in the hallway for  a moment, both still chuckling.

“Well, it’s getting pretty late. I should probably get to bed,” (y/n) said.

“I’ll walk you to your room.” Steve and (y/n) meandered down the hall, slowly walking to her room and making conversation. When they reached it, (y/n) leaned against the doorframe.

“Thanks for showing me the garden. It was really nice.” (y/n) said, smiling at Steve.

“Yeah, thanks for coming with me.”

“Well, goodnight,” (y/n) said after a moment. She stepped into her room, shutting the door. Steve stayed outside for a moment, wanting to spend more time with her, but not sure what to say. He finally went away to his room. (y/n) undressed, draping her dress over a chair to return to Wanda later. She went to the bathroom and removed her makeup, gently wiping it away. She stepped into the shower and washed the product that Wanda had used from her hair. (y/n) finished showering then threw on a large t shirt and comfy pajama pants, falling into her bed, exhausted after a day of training and small talk.

**Author's Note:**

> First fan-fic! If you have any notes or constructive criticism, please let me know!


End file.
